Method of making piers



C. P. DISNEY ET AL Dec. 21, 1943.

METHOD OF MAKING PIERS Filed March 17, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.llIFllllEnn infill HEREIN! 5 z w I H H v INVENTORS 5 pfmm 3 m k s H rmA 0 h CL Dec. 21, 1943. c. P. DISNEY ET AL METHOD OF MAKING PIERS 2Sheets-Shae: 2

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Filed March 17, 1943 1| I! l 1 4\ 4 8L+ Fiy. 5 INVENTORS Charles RDisney- Louis S. T Viartz M f ATTORNEYS ent to one skilled in thePatented 21, 1943 IVIETHOD F MAKING PIERS Charles P. Disney,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and

Louis S. Wertz, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application March 17, 1943,Serial No. 479,458 12 Claims. (0]. 61-52) This invention relates to amethod of building concrete piers for bridges or the like with theirbases extending from above the water line into the ground to a firmsupport such as bed rock.

It has heretofore been the usual practice in building bridges over wideand deep bodies of water to support the bridge upon massive masonrypiers. The building of the bases of such piers under water by the use ofpneumatic caissons or the like is enormously expensive and the expenseincreases very rapidly with an increase in the depth to which the piermust go below the water level. Because of the enormous expense inbuilding such piers with deep foundations, it is frequently necessary toprovide very long spans in the bridges. The spans also become much moreexpensive as their length is increased. The design of conventionalbridges must, therefore, be balanced between the cost of the piers andthe cost of the necessary connecting spans.

Pneumatic caissons, besides being extremely expensive, take a very longtime to build and are extremely dangerous to the men, because" of thehigh working pressure.

An object of the present invention is to provide a low cost method ofbuilding piers in deep or shallow water, thereby enabling one to spacethe piers relatively closer together than hereto.- fore and therebydispensing with the need for long span bridges.

An important advantage of the present invention is the elimination ofcaissons or other expensive apparatus which is required when it isnecessary to provide for workmen below the surface of the water. tion isperformed entirely by means of apparatus above the water level andgreatly lessens the time required for the building of piers. 1

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be said tohereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claimstogether with such variations and modifications thereof tion pertains.Reference should be had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part ofthis specification in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevationshowing a portion of a bridge supported bypiers built by the method of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the base portion of a pier in thecourse of construction by the method of the present invention;

comprise the method as illustrated in the accompanying drawings as willbe apparart to which the inven- The method of the present inven- I"extends into the Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line indicated at 3-3in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the pier showing the base portioncompleted and the top pillar in the course of construction;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the completed pier with parts broken awayto show a portion of the base and of the pillar in section; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line indicated at 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of a portion of a pile having a conduitformed in a corner thereof.

Fig. 8 is a section on line BB of Fig. 7.

In the present invention reinforcing elements, such as steel piles and asurrounding form are disposed above the rock or solid foundation uponwhich the pier is to be carried. The piles are ordinarily driven throughthe ground material overlying such foundation which may be dry orsubmerged in shallow or deep water. The form is then filled withsuitable aggregate which is solidified by pumping a solidifiable,readily flowable, cementitious material thereimwithout the necessity ofremoving the water from the enclosed reinforcement. By this method the.desired number of piers can be erected and the spans made the mosteconomical length.

In the present method, since the water does not have to be removed fromthe enclosing form surrounding the reinforcing elements, the form, of aretainer for the agis more in the nature gregate and cementitiousproduct and does not have to be of a strength to withstand enormouspressures, such as are attained in deep water.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the pier constructed by themethod of the present invention is a concrete level. The base I may havea pillar 2 extending upwardly therefrom to provide a support for thebridge sections 3. It is to be understood, however, that the pillar 2 isnot essential since the bridge may be supported by arches, trussstructures, or the like, having abutments mounted directly on bases I if'desired.

The initial step of the process consists in driving steel piles 4 intothe ground until their lower ends are engaged With a firm supportingstrata or foundation such as bed rock. The piles 4, which are preferablyshapes, may be arranged in the desired patterns and spacings throughoutthe area to be occupied by the base I of the pier. In the drawings thepiles 4 are shown of conventional H section.

After the piles 4 havebeen driven into place,

pier having a base I which ground and above, the water an enclosing wallis formed which extends from above the surface of the water into theground around the steel piles 4. The enclosing wall 5 may be constructedin any suitable manner of wood or metal, but is preferably formed withinterlocking steel sheet piling. The sheet piling may be driven to thesame depth as the piles 4 but frequently it is desirable to drive thesheet piling to a depth somewhat less than the piles 4, for a purposehereinafter described. After the piles 4 have been driven into theground, the upper ends thereof are preferably connected by means ofsuitable steel grillage. In the drawings this comprises tie bars 8 whichare disposed in crossing relation to provide a stiffening grill workadjacent the upper ends of the piles. The bars 6 may be of any desiredconventional structural sections, as for example rolled channel beams,which may be secured to the steel piles by any suitable means such aswelding or riveting.

If there is a substantial quantity of silt or other undesirable materialon the supporting foundation or intermingled with the natural gravel orstone enclosed by the sheet piling, this material is preferably removedfrom the interior of the enclosure by jetting or washing or by othersuitable means. In some instances it may be convenient to wash the siltout by jets of air or water directed against the silt around the piles 4befor all the sheet piling 5 is driven into place.

If the ground below the water is of such a nature that after washing,pipes can be readily driven therein, a series of pipes I may be drivenat spaced points throughout the interior of the enclosure and a seriesof shorter pipes 8 are supported adjacent the 'top of the piles withtheir lower ends between the ground and the surface of the water. Theenclosure is then filled with suitable coarse aggregate.

In cases where it is difficult or undesirable to drive thegrout-carrying pipes through the ground underneath the water, conduitsmay be carried by the steel piling 4. As shown in Fig. 7, a flat platel5 may be disposed over a corner of the pile and welded thereto alongits edges, thereby producing an enclosed conduit, and the plate l5 maybe provided with one or more suitable openings It at the desired'depthfor the egress of grout material into the interior of the pier to befilled,

A special grout of high fluidity is then forced under high pressurethrough the pipes I, or conduits, into the ground around the piles 4 andthis grout is intruded into the aggregate, gravel, or other porousstrata enclosed by the sheet piling. When hardened, this provides a veryfirm foundation for the pier. The grout, forced under pressure throughthe pipes l, readily flows through the ground surrounding the pileswithin the enclosure so that a solid and massive foundation below theground level is provided. In cases where it is desired to have theregion around the base of the pier solidified the sheet piling may beleft above the bottom of the piling, so that the .grout or flowable,solidifiable composition will flow beneath the sheet piling and fill thevoids and pores of the adjacent region thus in effect enlarging the baseportion of the pier. Additional grout may be forced through the pipes 8into the mass of aggregate to displace the water in the voids and tosolidify the aggregate to envelope the piles 4 in a mass of strongconcrete. The grout employed for solidification of the earth strata inwhich the piles are embedded is a composition of high fluiditycontaining, in addition to Portland cement, a colloidal gel retardingagent and a lubricating and plasticizlng agent, the composition beingnot readily miscible with water and capable of displacing water whenforced under pressure into the voids and crevices of the earth strata. Acomposition such as that disclosed in the patent to Wertz 2,254,252September 2, 1941, may be used. The composition may contain, in additionto the ingredients set forth in the above patent, some calcium chloride,in the amount of about .5% to 3.5% on the weight of the cement, and/or asmall amount of aluminum powder, if desired, such as .001% to .05% onthe weight of the cement.

The grout employed for filling the voids in the body of aggregate abovethe ground may be similar to that employed for solidifying the eartharound the piles. When filling voids in coarse aggregate and the like, asubstantial proportion of sand may be included in the mix.

In case that it is desired to provide an extension above the base I,such as the pillar 2, extensions 9 may be attached to the upper ends ofcertain of the steel piles 4, preferably by welding. The upper ends ofthe extensions 9 may be connected by crossing tie bars Ill similar tothe tie bars 6. After the extensions 9 have been attached to the desiredgroup of piles 4, a form II is built around the extensions and this formmay be filled with concrete to form a pillar around the extensions 9.The form H is preferably provided with a number of pipes l2 throughwhich grout may be forced under pressure into a body of aggregate firstfilled into the form.

It will be seen that piers constructed as above set forth will, in themajority of cases, eliminate the need for long span bridges over deepwater. Piers combining the use of steel piling, such as H piling, andconcrete, and constructed by solidifying Prepakt aggregate with aflowable composition as above described, will solve practically everywater and foundation problem and make unnecessary the intricate andexpensive pneumatic caisson Work that has had to be used in the past,and that has been the basic reason for employing long spans over deepwater. Improvements and economies obtained with the present inventionare discussed in an article appearing on page 1'? of the Canadianpublication Roads and Bridges for February, 1943, which is published inToronto, Ontario.

The principles of the present invention may be utilized in various Ways,it being understood that the procedure illustrated in the drawings anddescribed above are given merely for'purposes of explanation andillustration without intending to limit the scope of the claims to thespecific details disclosed.

What We claim is:

1. The method of constructing a pier which comprises driving a group ofspaced steel piles into the ground to a firm supporting strata,enclosing the spaced piles with a wall extending from above the waterlevel to the ground, filling the enclosure With aggregate, and injectinggrout under pressure into the body of aggregate to replace water in thevoids of the body of aggregate with grout.

2. The method of constructing a pier which comprises driving a group ofspaced steel piles into the ground to a firm supporting strata,enclosing the spaced piles with a wall extending from above the waterlevel into the ground, removing silt from the interior of the enclosure,

filling the enclosure with aggregate, and replacing Water in the voidsof the body of aggregate with grout.

3. The method of constructing a pier which comprises driving a group ofspaced steel piles into the ground to a firm supporting strata, en'-closing the spaced piles with a wall extending from above the waterlevel into the ground, removing silt from the interior of the enclosure,filling the enclosure with aggregate, replacing Water in the voids ofthe body of aggregate With grout, attaching extensions to the upper endsof certain of said piles, building a form about the extensions, andfilling the form with concrete.

4. The method of constructing a pier which comprises driving a group ofspaced steel piles into the ground, enclosing the group of piles with awall extending into the ground, intruding grout under high pressure intothe ground around the piles, and filling the enclosure With concrete.

5. The method of constructing a pier which comprises driving a group ofspaced steel piles into the ground, enclosing the group of piles with awall extending into the ground, intruding grout under high pressure intothe ground around the piles, filling the enclosure with aggregate, andfilling the voids of the aggregate with grout.

6. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a group.of spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, intruding groutunder high pressure into the ground around the piles, and filling theenclosure with concrete.

7. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a groupof spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, filling theenclosure with aggregate, intruding grout under high pressure into theground around the piles, and forcing grout into the voids of the body ofaggregate.

8. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a groupof spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, filling theenclosure with aggregate, intruding grout under high pressure into theground around the piles, forcing grout into the voids of the body ofaggregate,

splicing extension to the upper ends 'of certain of said piles, andenclosing the extensions of the piles in a pillar of concrete.

9. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a groupof spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, removing silt fromwithin the enclosure, intruding grout under high pressure into theground around the piles, and displacing water within the enclosure withconcrete.

10. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a groupof spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, removing silt fromwithin the enclosure, intruding grout under high pressure into theground around the piles, displacing Water within the enclosure withaggregate and displacing water in the voids of the body of aggregatewith grout.

11. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a groupof spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, removing silt fromwithin the enclosure, intruding grout under high pressure into theground around the piles, displacing water within the enclosure withaggregate, displacing water in the voids of the body of aggregate withgrout, splicing extensions to certain of said piles, building a formaround the extensions, filling the form with aggregate, and forcinggrout under pressure into the voids of the body of aggregate within theform.

12. The method of constructing a pier which consists in driving a groupof spaced steel piles into the ground at the bottom of a body of water,enclosing said group of piles to above the water level with a wallextending into the ground around said group of piles, tying the upperends of the piles with a metal grillwork adjacent the top of theenclosure, embedding the spaced piles and grillwork in a body ofaggregate filling the enclosure, intruding grout under heavy pressureinto the ground around the piles, and filling the voids of the body ofaggregate with grout.

CHARLES P. DISNEY.

LOUIS S. WERTZ.

